Often overlooked in the kitchen, this fruit is actually a delicious and versatile ingredient we can use to add more flavor and texture to a dish.
However, this squash and melon relative isn’t easy to get hold of. The fact you’re reading this post would imply that you already know that. If this is the case, you’ve come to the right place.
Because chayote is so hard to get hold of, you’re going to want some simple and effective substitutes you can make in a pinch.
Luckily, for you, we’re going to show you the best. In this post, you’ll find a list of the best chayote substitutes.
We’ll show you what each substitute tastes like, what makes it a good chayote substitute, and how to use it. Stick around if you want to learn more!
What Is Chayote?
Chayote is a unique sweet and mild-tasting fruit that can be found in Latin American cuisine. Related to squash and melon, it can be eaten raw or cooked.
This fruit has a unique pear and cucumber-like appearance that makes it look incredibly interesting. It is also bright green and white in color. In terms of texture, it’s firm but velvety.
Although this fruit can be eaten raw, it is most commonly cooked and added to a wide range of different dishes.
Despite being a fruit with a sweet flavor, it is generally used to bring more flavor to savory dishes. This includes casseroles, stews, salads, and soups. It’s also worth noting that the chayote’s skin is edible.
To cook the chayote, most people boil, bake, roast, or saute it. It can also be microwaved or steamed.
The 6 Best Chayote Substitutes
We’re now going to look at the best chayote substitutes you can use if you can’t find any chayote in your local grocery store.
You can use the substitutes we’ll be looking at to replicate the flavors and textures of chayote in a huge range of different dishes.
So you know what each substitute has to offer, we’ll tell you a bit more about each option, how to use them, and why they make a good chayote substitute. We’ll kick things off with zucchini.
1. Zucchini
In our opinion, the best substitute you can use for chayote is zucchini. Zucchini is a versatile vegetable that can be used in an enormous variety of different dishes. It also helps that this variety of summer squash is readily available.
Unlike the chayote, you’ll find zucchini in almost any grocery store you visit. Another great thing about using zucchini as a chayote substitute is that both foods have a similar flavor.
Like chayote, zucchini has a mild and sweet flavor. It also has a similar color and texture.
A super simple way to prepare zucchini is to cut it into small, round slices, before grilling it. In terms of what you can use zucchini in, your options are virtually limitless.
You can include zucchini in stir-fries, noodle dishes, stews, roasted vegetable dishes, casseroles, and so much more.
We like to roast zucchini in an oven with garlic, herbs, and olive oil.
2. Cucumber
A vegetable that doesn’t look or taste too dissimilar to the zucchini can also be used as a chayote substitute.
Of course, that vegetable is the cucumber. Cucumber is easily one of the best chayote substitutes we can use in salad recipes.
Aside from taste and flavor, one of the best things about using cucumber as a chayote substitute is that it can be used in the same ratio.
If your recipe asks for 2 cups of chayote, simply use 2 cups of cucumber instead.
Cucumbers and chayote have a similar texture and taste. Like chayote, cucumber also comes packed with essential nutrients and vitamins.
To be more specific, cucumber is an excellent source of vitamin C, potassium, and dietary fiber. Of course, cucumber is another substitute you can find in abundance in most grocery stores.
3. Green Papaya
The next chayote substitute on this list is green papaya. Green papaya is a delicious, sweet-tasting, and highly nutritious fruit that’s packed with a variety of essential nutrients.
If you’re keen to find a substitute that’s packed with minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants, the green papaya is arguably your best option.
Offering a number of valuable health benefits, the green papaya fruit can be eaten raw and cooked, just like the chayote.
Like the chayote, green papaya is usually cooked and added to savory dishes like soups and stews. Another popular way to cook green papaya is to slice it up and fry it.
If we were going to use green papaya as a chayote substitute, we’d probably use it in salads, stews, and soups.
It’s also worth noting that green papaya has a similar color and texture to chayote. Therefore, you can expect it to impact a dish in terms of color and consistency too.
4. Cucuzza
Cucuzza and chayote are related because they both belong to the squash family. As a result, you can easily use Cucuzza to replace chayote in most dishes.
Cucuzza is most commonly used in Italian cuisine but its flavors can be transferred into a variety of other cuisines too.
This long and green fruit has a mildly sweet flavor that goes well in a variety of different dishes. It can also be cooked in a range of different ways, making it a versatile ingredient too.
More often than not, the Cucuzza fruit is stuffed with bread crumbs, cheese, and ground meat. The fruit is then baked in an oven.
If you want to use Cucuzza instead of chayote, you could add it to a stir-fry, soup, stew, or casserole.
5. Patty Pan Squash
The patty pan squash is also very similar to the chayote. It has slightly thick and bright green skin.
When it comes to using patty pan squash instead of chayote, you can use an equal amount, and the amount the recipe calls for.
However, it’s worth remembering that patty pan squash has a slightly sweeter flavor than the chayote. Therefore, you might want to adjust the seasoning in your recipe accordingly.
The biggest difference between these two types of squash is that the patty pan squash is rounder and smaller. Don’t worry though, these differences won’t impact your dish.
Thanks to their similarities, you can use patty pan squash in any recipe that calls for a chayote.
6. Yellow Crookneck Squash
Next up, we have another type of squash that can be used instead of chayote in a wide range of different dishes. This time, we have the yellow crookneck squash.
The yellow crookneck squash is harvested while still immature like the chayote squash is.
However, it does have thinner skin and a more delicate flavor. As a result, you might want to use more of this squash than the recipe calls for. What makes the yellow crookneck squash such a good substitute is its versatility.
This type of squash can be used in almost any dish you like. Some good examples of dishes we can use the crookneck squash in include stews, casseroles, and salads.
When it comes to picking out the best crookneck squash from the store, we recommend choosing one that’s small, firm, and slightly dull-looking.
Avoid any squash that has bruises or cuts as it will spoil quicker.
Final Thoughts
That concludes this post looking at the best chayote substitutes. In this post, we’ve looked at what the chayote is, what we can use it for, and the best ingredients we can use as a substitute.
As you can see from the substitutes we’ve looked at, substituting chayote isn’t difficult. We can quickly and easily use a chayote substitute to replicate the flavors and textures a recipe calls for.
This is incredibly useful because chayote isn’t the easiest variety of squash to find. In fact, you’re much more likely to find one of the substitutes from our list in your local grocery store. You’ll find that most grocery stores simply don’t stock chayote.
Now you have this list of substitutes, pick out the one that suits your recipe best and get cooking!
Hi, I’m Aubrey, and I have been a chef for close to 8 years. Cooking has always been a passion of mine, as long as I can remember. I loved my play kitchen when I was a kid, and would offer my parents my own (albeit gross) cookie recipes to taste!
Here at ButterandSaltGatherings, I want to offer a wide range of ingredients, flavors, meals and recipes so that you can start living each day to the fullest, and enjoy only the best food.
